Fullmetal Alchemist: Antithesis of Truth
by R. Recollect
Summary: Ed and Al get more than they bargained for when they're sent to the south border of Amestris to find a missing researcher. Hounded by a new State Alchemist, and challenged by principles of Alchemy never before seen, Ed and Al must use all they know to chase down the mysterious Philosopher's Antithesis; with or without the use of their Alchemy. For Spellbound Daydreamer.
1. Prologue

It was one of those days in Central when there just didn't seem like there could possibly be anything wrong. So why were people in a hurry? Why were they rushing? Shops were already open before breakfast. Children rushed to school. The roads were packed with cars and automobiles.

The truth was that Central was never a sleepy town. It was always vigilant the way a heart never stopped beating for a living person. Central was always dealing with matters that pertained to just about everything, and anything. If Central faltered, so would the entire nation of Amestris. This is what Colonel Roy Mustang pondered as he stared out the window of his office, looking at the ever-busy city and as usual, paying no regard to the small pile of paperwork spread out on his desk.

His musings were interrupted by a sharp precise knock on his door followed by a very familiar voice.

"Colonel. The Elric Brothers are here to report their findings." Came the voice of one Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye.

"Right." Mustang said casually. "Send them in."

The office door opened revealing two figures. One was large in stature and wearing a set of vintage armor that looked more like it belonged to a rich man's private collection. The other was a scowling boy who couldn't have been much older than maybe fifteen or sixteen. At first blush, they seemed out of place in the Amestris State Military. Not even wearing the regulated uniform or showing any sign of acknowledgement to the Colonel, you'd never guess that the scowling boy was the famous State Alchemist Edward Elric, AKA the Fullmetal Alchemist. Or that he was the older of the two in the doorway, despite the other's size.

The younger brother, named Alphonse Elric, followed his older brother through the doorway and into the Colonel's Office. Sheepishly, he stood while his brother took a seat facing the Colonel at his desk. Al knew by now he could never fit his armored body into the office chairs, so naturally he stood. What many people didn't know was that Al's body was completely void of flesh and blood. As the result of a failed alchemical experiment, Al's soul was bound to the armor that now stood in his office. The armor felt no pain, hunger, or fatigue; so it hardly ever mattered whether or not Al sat down in a chair, seeing as how his legs never felt anything to begin with.

"So what did you find?" Mustang asked inquisitively.

Ed gave a bored sigh in response. "The so-called 'gold' being vended at Geon was nothing more than Chalcopyrite and the 'Philosopher's Stone' was just a coal lump painted red."

"Another dead end…" Mustang murmured. "You boys just have all the luck in the world, don't you?"

At this, Ed gave a smirk. "We've been relying on our luck this whole damn journey. And look at where it's gotten us so far. Do you any other leads?"

"None so far." Mustang said, obviously bored of the results. Amestris was a major alchemical power, so naturally it was wrought with people who claimed to hold power greater than others. Some have been as arrogant to claim they were more powerful than the military, or that they could create gold out of thin air. Once or twice, there have been claims of successful human transmutation, or the creation of a Philosopher's Stone. It was times like these that Mustang sent Ed and Al to investigate. It was killing three birds with one stone. Not only would it benefit the military and society altogether to bust these frauds, it gave the Elric Brothers the opportunity to find a lead on how to restore their damaged bodies. Most importantly, seeing as how the Elrics were under his jurisdiction, it put in a good word for him, bringing him one step closer to a promotion, and the title of Fuhrer of Amestris altogether.

Ed, of course knew of Mustang's ambitions and needless to say, it pissed him off. Mustang was basically taking advantage of his failures. Add the Colonel's cocky and pompous attitude, especially when it came to women, and it all equated to the kind of person that really pissed Ed off.

It was one of those times when Ed was really pissed at the Colonel. Hence the scowl.

"Nothing at all?" Ed said, getting more temperamental. "Great. Just great."

"Hold it, Fullmetal." Mustang said in his usual perpetually calm yet serious attitude, ironic considering his title being "The Flame Alchemist." "I only said I had no leads for you. I didn't say there's nothing for you to do."

"Ok. So tell me." Ed said, more than a little incensed.

"Alright." Mustang said. "About a week ago, one of the head researchers working in the Third Laboratory went AWOL. His name's Errol Foster and he was researching a new factor of Equivalent Exchange. He was last seen in the southern town of Helfern, which is near the border that separates us from Aerugo. Your assignment is to find Foster, and bring him back, dead or alive.

"Alright." Ed said, sounding bored. "But I'm not killing anyone."

Mustang shrugged. "You might not, but your partner might."

Ed raised a blonde eyebrow. "What do you mean-"

"I'm here, as requested Colonel." An unfamiliar voice interrupted.

Ed and Al turned to meet the newcomer. A tall man wearing a military uniform was standing in the doorway. His hair was bared back and stark-black, exposing his forehead. His face held sharply defined features and piercing electric-blue eyes. Ed noticed he was wearing rubber gloves with metal plates, which held transmutation circles.

Mustang smiled as the newcomer closed the door behind him and proceeded to sit down. "This is Kress Reins; He's our newest State Alchemist."

Ed's golden eyes found the familiar silver chain traveling to his pocket. A State Alchemist's sign of identification was the famous, or rather, infamous silver pocket watch. Kress Reins had taken an oath to make the military his first and only priority as an Alchemist, as opposed to serving the common good, and its people. Among the populace, the State Alchemists were called "Dogs of the Military." Ed knew he'd take that name upon receiving his title. He wondered whether or not Reins knew…

"So what title did the Fuhrer give you-"

"You will only speak when spoken to." Reins interrupted.

"I can talk however I want-" Ed began.

"I will not be spoken to by a mere child in such an unacknowledging manner. I am an adult, and as an adult, I am obligated to have your respect." Reins interrupted again. Ed's scowl grew into a pissed off expression. Al made a movement of surprise. Mustang was no longer smiling.

"You're not speaking to a 'mere child,' Reins. That's the Fullmetal Alchemist." Mustang said.

Reins looked as though he'd just choked on something sour, salty, and bitter.

"This impudent little-" Reins began but was interrupted by...

"WHO'S THE SUPER-SMALL ATOM-SIZED SHRIMP!?" Ed raged.

"Brother!" Al chimed in. "Please, calm down!"

"Enough!" Mustang thundered, losing his calm façade for just a second. "I want the two of you to go to Helfern and find Foster. No excuses! Got it?"

"Yes, Colonel." Both Ed and Reins said in unison.

"Good." Mustang said.

At the Station, Ed just knew that this was going to be a pain in the ass with Reins around. Not only did his attitude- especially that superiority complex towards children piss him off, but he had a gut feeling that Reins would cramp his style.

Nevertheless, Ed, Al, and Reins all bought their tickets and boarded the train to Helfern.

It was a long ride, to say the least.

**This is R.**

**I'm glad I gathered enough guts to publish this. Also, we will be having review requests to give our wonderful readers incentive to leave feedback.**

**So, without further ado, I give you, Edward!**

**Ed: Ok! Review! Was that good?**

**Excellent, Ed. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna ride all the big roller coasters that you're too tiny to ride. Don't worry, I'll give you a T-Shirt!**

**Ed: YOU MOTHERF-!**


	2. The Impossible Made Possible

Kress Reins was not the kind of person you'd sit with on a five-hour train ride, at least, not if you could help it. The man remained stubbornly silent, but the looks he'd shoot at you told the whole story.

Ed had some experience dealing with people who detested children. It was obvious that some of his teachers back in Resembool outright hated him, but then again he never really respected them to begin with. At first, Izumi's Spartan training had Ed convinced the woman hated kids. But once you got past the extremely rough exterior, it was obvious she loved children. But Reins was almost intolerable. Glaring at children on the train for so much as smiling, it was completely obvious that the man despised children and the way they sometimes acted. The way he _demanded _respect out of kids was something Ed was having a hard time refraining from punching the asshole's lights out. With his automail arm, no less.

"Brother." Alphonse's voice came.

Ed turned towards his brother. "What is it, Al?"

"I think we're almost there, Brother."

Ed looked out the window, and sure enough, the dark highlight of the city came up against the horizon of the setting sun. Ed smiled. Anything to get away from sitting on the train with this stiff prick.

At last, the train's speed began to ebb, with before finally coming to a complete stop at Helfern station. Slowly but surely, passengers began to make their exit from the train cars. Ed and Al walked through the door when they got the chance.

After checking out from the station, Ed and Al attempted to start exploring, but a hand grabbed the scruff of Ed's coat.

"Don't you dare walk on your own you little brat! You are but a child, and children have no place conducting official investiga-"

"Listen you prick! I'm a State Alchemist just like you, but you're just some Rookie who doesn't know the first thing about how things are done, so shut your stupid novice mouth!" Ed raged. It'd been obvious Ed had been waiting to unload all that since he got on the train.

"Brother!" Al shouted. "You're making a scene!"

Reins looked as though he wanted to shout something back, but forced his mouth shut. He was clearly not used to hearing backtalk. He looked as though he wanted to give Ed a slap across the face. Instead, he calmly said "I can't have children hinder my investigation. You two will stay here and not move an inch. I will return, and submit my report to Mustang. You will do nothing." Reins stated, and went on his way.

Ed scowled. "Who the hell does he think he is, telling us to do nothing? Come on, Al. Let's go."

"Right Brother!"

The Elric Brothers made wasted no time searching the city. Although there was an incident, in which Al finding a stray cat and keeping it in his armor; no doubt he wanted to sneak it back to Central. It concluded with Ed yelling at Al and forcing him to let the stray go, resulting in Al being distraught for an hour.

The Elrics were about to call it a day when they heard the cry of a shopkeeper who was just robbed. Following the raised voices, Ed and Al noticed a girl running with what looked like a tiny clock. She was followed by a man who yelled "Stop, Thief!"

"Come on, Al!" Ed shouted, giving chase.

"Wait for me, Brother!" Al cried out.

Ed and Al chased the thief through crowds, alleys, and on top of buildings. The chase went on for what seemed like hours, but seemed to come to an end when the thief came to a dead end after the stairs she attempted to ascend were blocked off by a freshly transmuted wall.

"Give it up!" Ed shouted, transmuting his automail arm into a makeshift blade. "We have you cornered! You can come peacefully or we'll take you by force!"

The girl looked at the Elric brothers with disgust. As though they'd done something completely profane.

"How dare you… How _dare_ you! How dare you do something so… So… So _vile_!" The thief shouted, nearly on the verge of hysterics.

Ed raised a golden eyebrow. "What the hell are you-"

Ed stopped. The girl had taken out the stolen clock. It was a tiny sophisticated chrome model with a black face and white roman numerals. But the most interesting feature, Ed noted, was the transmutation circle in the dead center.

The girl began to wind the clock, and it began to crackle with red alchemical energy. Suddenly, the hands of the clock stopped moving. Then, they rapidly began to go counter-clockwise. Suddenly, the alley was bathed in a red glow, and Ed was astonished as his arm-sword reverted back to its automail form. Moments later, the transmuted wall suddenly sank in the exact manner it had risen up, clearing the path.

"Alchemy is an abomination! It violates God's will! How_ dare_ you not know your place!?" the thief shouted, tears threatening to fall.

Ed just stood, transfixed. How did she-?

"Brother!" Al shouted. "She's getting away!" Indeed, the thief had taken advantage of the Elrics being too dumbstruck to remember they were chasing down a pickpocket.

Ed and Al gave chase, but there was no use. The thief had vanished into the crowd of people.

"Dammit!" Ed cursed. "And we still haven't found that Foster guy either…"

"There's nothing we can do now." Al consoled. "All we can do now is go back to Central."

"Any chance we can leave that bastard Reins behind?" Ed asked.

"I don't think so." A voice said behind them. The Elrics turned around to find Kress Reins standing behind them.

"Dammit." Ed muttered. "Fine. Let's go back to Central. We've gotta tell the Colonel about this…"

**Alright! Wow, bet you weren't expecting that, hmm?**

**Requesting our review for this chapter is Colonel Mustang!**

**Mustang: Hello, ladies. Review, and I will make your life ever-so worth living-**

**Hawkeye: *Fires sniper shot, purposefully missing Mustang's head***

**Mustang: O_o Please review... **


	3. The Heist

"I see…." Mustang mused, hands folded on his desk. "So that's what happened."

It'd been hours since Ed, Al, and a very irate Rein had returned to Central to deliver their report on the incident in Helfern... True to form, Reins blamed Ed and Al for their failure to locate Foster. He was even hinting at Court-Marshaling the young alchemist. However, nobody seemed to care, much to his fury.

"This girl… Did you get a good look at her face?" Mustang probed.

"Yeah." Ed said. "She had curly brown hair, green eyes, and she was real tiny. Does it ring any bells?"

"How does this possibly have to do with our target?" Reins asked.

"A lot, apparently." Mustang said, pulling out a folder. Opening it, he pulled out a photo of the thief from Helfern. "Is this her?" He asked.

"Yeah." Ed nodded. "I recognize her."

"But who is she?" Reins further pressed, pushing Ed out of the way.

"Her name is Amelia Redmond. She's wanted on several accounts of theft. She's also a notable member of a group of activists that have been protesting the use of Alchemy in our nation."

"Her views on Alchemy are not far from those of the Ishvalans. Was she raised by them or something?" Al asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she was…" Reins muttered. "Filthy reprobates…"

"But that's not what interests me." Mustang says. "The Alchemy-stopping mechanism. It looked like a tiny clock, right?"

"That's right. What about it?" Ed asked.

"I'm surprised you don't know what this means." Mustang said with that smug smile Ed hated so much. "Tell me. Have you ever heard of an Antithesis?"

Ed's eyes widened with realization as he remembered, all those years ago….

"_Brother, what's this about?" The eight-year old Al asked._

_The nine-year old Ed looked at the entry in the big alchemy book that Al was trying to understand. "That's called an Antithesis. Some crazy guy thought he could add a new principle to the Law of Equivalent Exchange. _

"_A new principle?" Al asked in wonder._

"_Yeah. He called this new principle 'Synthesis'. It's got to do with the atomic manipulation of elements that happens during a transmutation. He was trying to find a way to be able to interfere with the transmutation." Ed flipped the page, and pointed at a twelve-pronged array set in a circle. He was trying to see if he could tap into the alchemical energy. See if he could transmute the fabric of time as well as space." _

"_Did he succeed?" Al asked._

"_Well, according to his theory, he called it an Antithesis. It's basically supposed to be the exact opposite of transmutation. It's supposedly made utilizing the energy generated mechanically. The energy's path is altered and reversed the same way a clock can be altered to work counter-clockwise. Then, it's channeled through a reverse-transmutation circle that directs the energy towards any object affected by alchemy, neutralizing the effects of the transmutation and restoring the object to normal."_

"_So it can reverse alchemy?" Al asked in wonder._

"_It can also stop alchemy altogether if it's powerful enough." Ed said. "But there's no record of any Antithesises being successfully created or working. The odds that happening are as likely as a Homunculus being created." Ed said with his huge grin._

"_Yeah, I don't think we'll-" Al began, but was interrupted by the loud growling of his stomach._

_Ed laughed. "You hungry Al?"_

_Al smiled. "Yeah. Granny Pinako's making stew tonight. You wanna head over to Winry's?"_

_Ed's grin grew wider. "Yeah!"_

Ed finished reminiscing, remembering that the stew that day tasted really good, despite the added milk. But onto more serious matters… That clock the Redmond girl had worked exactly how an Antithesis was supposed to. The reversed energy. The cancelled-out transmutations. Ed knew by now it was more than likely that experiments better left unheard of were being conducted in places like the Fifth Laboratory. After their encounter in Dublith with Greed, Ed and Al knew that there were actual, living Homunculi. If somebody had gone and developed an Antithesis, it truly would not surprise him.

"Were there any studies going on about Antithesises in the Third Laboratory?" Ed inquired.

Mustang smiled. "Funny you should ask. There was a development team attempting to do so under the order of the Fuhrer. Their job was to study into whether or not an Antithesis could be created or not. And, to top it all off, the head of the development team was-"

"Errol Foster." Ed finished.

"But before the team was able to finish their research, Foster disappeared, with the experimental Antithesis." Mustang said.

"So where do we look now? We didn't get any leads on that Redmond girl in Helfern-"

The conversation was interrupted when a colossal man entered the room, panting and out of breath. With his posture and his stature, one could easily mistake him for a giant, walking statue. Especially when you noticed his face held no eyebrows. He held a handsome handlebar mustache which completely obscured his mouth, and the only hair on his head was an elegant curl of blonde hair.

"Major Armstrong." Mustang acknowledged. "What brings you here? And why are you out of breath?"

"I was just informed of an incident happening right now." Armstrong said between his panting. "The newly restored First National Library of Central is being robbed! They're holding the staff hostage!"

"WHAT?!" Everyone else in the room exclaimed.

"There's no time to waste!" Mustang yelled. Getting up and putting on his Flame Latex gloves, the keys to his fiery transmutations, he gave orders. "Fullmetal! You and Al get to the Library immediately!"

"Right!" Al said as the Elric Brothers departed.

The Library was right near Central Command Center. Who would be so arrogant to assault a place so close to the heart of the Military? Ed wondered as he rushed to the Library.

When they got to the Library, Mustang's men were already in place. Havoc, Braeda, Falman and Lieutenant Hawkeye were all gathered along with a small crowd of Military Police, all surrounding the Library. The only one absent was Fuery.

As Ed and Al arrived, a man stepped out of the front entrance, holding a megaphone and what looked like a librarian at gunpoint. "We ask that you not move any closer! We have hostages and we will not hesitate to off them if you try anything funny!" The gunman shouted into the megaphone.

Mustang stepped forward, also holding a megaphone. "What are your demands?" He asked.

"Our demands are simple. Allow us to leave with the book we want, and nobody gets hurt. Failure to comply will result in the deaths of all the hostages. Do we make ourselves clear? No heroics!"

"So who are we dealing with?" Ed asked as he made his way to Mustang's group.

"Another wanted criminal. His name is Lester Harvard. He commands a decent-sized group of bandits that have been causing trouble lately." Hawkeye said, readying her gun.

"Geez, It's one holdup from another, isn't it?" Ed asked.

**Ok. Looks pretty tense over here. I ask you all to review.**

**Here's a review request from Al.**

**Al: If we get enough reviews, I get to keep this kitty! :3 *Holds up Kitty***

**Sorry, Al. No Kitty.**

**Al: T_T**


	4. The Shocking Alchemist

Ed remembered the last hostage situation he'd been involved in, and knew that this Harvard guy was bluffing. There was no way he'd kill his bargaining chips when he was surrounded by military officers that would execute him the second they heard gunfire. Especially for just one book. That still puzzled him; why would criminals assault the First National Central Library for one book? That library was home to the Military's top priority books; the ones that were specifically reserved for State Alchemists and their gigantic research funds. The stored profits would be a more tempting motive.

Unless of course whoever was paying them off had more. It made sense; they were threating human lives for a _book_.

But that wasn't important. The real issue was the hostages. Ed formulated the plan in his head; the same plan they used during the Blue Squad Train Holdup. Ed would enter the library through the roof, and Al would take the back door. A two-pronged pre-emptive surprise attack. They'd clear out the robbers, rescue the hostages, and find out whatever the hell they wanted so badly that they resorted to this heist-

His train of thought was inturupted as a bolt of electricity shot past him and struck the electrical power lines nearby. Ed sharply turned to see none other than Reins with his fingers outstreched in the trajectory of the bolt. Smirking arrogently, the State Alchemist threw Ed a condescending sneer as he marvelled at his handiwork. All the lights in the entire sector had blacked out.

"I neglected to mention the title his Exellency the Fuhrer gave me. I am the Shocking Alchemist. I believe the demonstration I gave you explains why." Reins proclaimed, still holding that insufferable look.

"Do you know what could've happened with that?! You could have _killed_ someone-"

"I don't expect _children_ like you to understand. This is the Military, and sacrifices are nessessary." Reins inturupted. This pissed off Ed even more. Not only was he being his usual asshole self, he also showed complete disregard for any innocent bystanders that may have been affected by that lightning alchemy.

Mustang wasted no time exploiting the situation. "The power's out! Fullmetal! Reins! Get in there!"

Without a second's notice, Ed and Al rushed in. In this darkness, there was no telling what could happen.

Then, the lights came back on, and they were surrounded by guns.

"Nice try, dumbasses." Harvard's voice sounded. He was on the other side of the building, holding a gun to one receptionist and clamping a heavy-looking book in the other. "Your little blackout just didn't work, did it?"

"Dammit!" Ed shouted. "Now what?"

Reins quickly rubbed his gloves toghether, creating static electricity in his hands. Then, with a loud 'SNAP!' he discharged several streams of electricity towards each of the held guns. There was shouting of surprise and shock as each of the guns exploded in their hands with a 'BANG!' The electricity had fired off the gunpowder in the guns, rendering them useless.

Ed grinned as he transmuted his the plating on his automail into a blade. "Alright! Now we can kick some ass!" The brothers assumed fighting positions and began to fight off the accomplices when they heard more electricity and Harvard screaming.

"D-Dammit! Dammit all!" Harvard cursed, throwing his gun aside while dodging a bolt of electricty. The bolt missed, and set a nearby bookcase on fire.

The fire quickly spread, almost immediately covering one third of the entire library. Screaming, Harvard tried to run for it, away from the fire and Reins.

He never got the chance. Reins fired one more burst of electricity that struck both Harvard and the book he was carrying. Harvard collapsed to the floor with a scream while the book went up in flames.

"NO!" Ed screamed as he saw the book turn to ashes.

"Brother! we need to save the hostages!" Al cried out as he hoisted an unconsious man over his shoulder. Ed nodded and began to help them get out of the burning building. Reins didn't say a word, merely hoisted another hostage over his shoulder and ran off, leaving Ed behind. Ed growled as he made his way out, dragging the last hostage out of the fire and outside.

Ed looked back and saw the fire hungrily eat away at the building. It wasn't the first time this library burned down, and it wasn't the first time he saw a building burn. 'Don't forget.' He told himself. 'Don't forget October 3rd, 1911.'

"Brother, we should go back to Central." Al said at last. He too, had been transfixed by the flames.

He sighed, turning his back as the firefighters closed in. "Yeah. Let's go, Al."

**Well, I finally got over my writer's block and updated. Sorry if I took so long.**

**There will be no review request this chapter. I've noticed only one review for this entire story, and I'm getting a little miffed at the lack of feedback. I've noticed that over 90 people have already viewed this fanfic, and only one person has ever bothered to leave a review. I'm not angry, it's just insulting. It shouldn't be that much trouble to leave a little feedback for my hard work. If you find yourselves displeased by this chapter, you could review, but just know that you reap what you sow.**

**I hope to see you all later when the next chapter comes. Until then, please, for the sake of punctuality and common courtesy, _review_.**

**Sincerely,**

**~R**


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